NHL 2002 - Rush the net in pursuit of the game-winning goal

Be the Hero with NHL® 2002! Rush the net in pursuit of the game-winning goal, guard the crease with your life to shut out the opposition, and watch it all from the player's point of view. New features include the Breakaway Camera, EA GameStory which recognizes and rewards outstanding performance, and Create-a-Player so you can really put yourself in the game. Whether you are an intense power forward or bruising defenseman, you will feel pure adrenaline as you take the ice — but do not take our word for it, experience it for yourself.

Features

• New Breakaway Cam: Be the hero fo the most exciting play in hockey.
• NHL Cards: Showoff crazy skills and dazzling moves to earn cards for boosts, cheats, and other cool stuff.
• EA GameStory: A whole new direction - follow the game's story in cinematic and audible detail.
• New Create-a-Player: Upload custom jerseys or put yourself in the game with an array of hair styles and facial features.
• Emotion Meter: Pump up the home crowd or quiet the thronging masses - either way your team will respond!
• Presicision Animation: Totally new animations allow players to reach for passes, kick the puck up to the stick, or fire off exquisite saucer passes.
• Custom Tunes: Download cool MP3s or WAV files into NHL 2002

GameZone Review by Kombo

May 4, 2012 by —Chris Banovic

EA Sports has always been known to create the most realistic hockey simulations every year, even up to this date. Although it is the only realistic hockey sim available for the Xbox, NHL 2002 was developed by EA Canada and offers six gameplay modes, all new NHL Cards, new gameplay cameras, a new game story, and all NHL teams and international teams- essentially meaning that although it is the only one, it is a great one at that, and definitely one that should not be missed by any Xbox-owning hockey fans.

There is no real competition on the Xbox for NHL 2002, except for the hard-hitting action-arcade game NHL Hitz 20-02 from Midway. EA Sports has improved this year's edition of its NHL hockey series in many ways. Although the game is a port from the Playstation 2 console, it offers somewhat of an improvement on the Xbox. EA Sports is offering all the looks and luxury of a great hockey sim, but will you be getting something else?

Gameplay

NHL 2002 offers some major and some minor improvements over NHL 2001. Some of the new features include the addition of the breakaway, save, and the hit camera. Also in NHL 2002 is the great addition of NHL Cards, a cool feature that act like virtual trading cards right on your television screen. You can read more about NHL Cards later on in this review. You will find that everything else has been improved and polished for the Xbox, including the gameplay and the visuals.

The new special cameras in NHL 2002 are very impressive. Besides the replay camera, EA Sports has added in three action cameras to improve gameplay and impress gamers. The three cameras are the breakaway, hit, and save camera. The breakaway camera appears whenever a player breaks away from all players and passes the blue line without any opponents in the defensive zone. The hit camera appears whenever a player performs a big hit on an opposing player. Finally, the save camera appears whenever a goalie make an unbelievable big save. When the hit and save cameras do appears, they always show three different camera angle shots. In all, they look very impressive and give gamers a new perspective on the action.

Another great addition to NHL 2002 is NHL Cards. The NHL Cards feature some of the NHL's top players in mini cards. You are given the option to have the NHL Card mode on or off. There are many tasks to completed, such as score a breakaway goal. By completing that, you receive 200 points. Collect as many points as you can then, by entering the NHL Cards section, you can purchase a pack of cards for 2000 points. You are then given a selection of randomly selected cards. You are able to sell your double for more points. If you are lucky, you will get secret and Easter egg cards to add more fun to your game. Player cards range from gold, silver, and bronze. This addition to NHL 2002 will be having you playing for hours completing all the tasks and collecting all the cards. It is a great new experience from EA Sports.

Yet another new addition to NHL 2002 is the a story-mode of sorts. The game story adapts to your gameplay and how you are playing the game. If you are playing a game and completely blowing your opponent away, the game story feature will appear saying total domination. EA Sports has brought another new way to please gamers and keep them enjoying future NHL games to come, as well as come back for future incarnations. It is really interesting to watch and listen to how the game's artificial intelligence reacts to how you play the game.

The modes in NHL 2002 are basically the same as they have usually been, except now many of them feature improved aspects over previous installments of the NHL series. The modes you will find in NHL 2002 are quick match, season, playoff, and tournament. Quick match is the same as it has always been, nothing ever changes, where the game selects a team for you and you are set right into the game. The season and playoff modes have been tweaked a little, mainly with the interface and the options you have during the season. The tournament mode is very interesting and is worth checking out. NHL 2002 offers as much realism as possible in its modes, giving gamers hours and hours of enjoyment.

Perhaps the easiest and most likeable facet in NHL 2002 is the control system that EA Sports Canada has developed. It is easy and quite simple to follow and understand. EA Sports has put in the very simple and intuitive controls. You will find a shoot, pass, hit, deke, and speed burst buttons all equipped for you across the main face buttons, and all are very easy to reach and use when you need them.

EA Sports clearly brings the best gameplay hockey action to the show, and it shows its magnificence on the Xbox. The modes of gameplay are not bad, per se, but a franchise mode and skills competition would really give the game some fire for future years. Maybe next year, right EA? PLEASE, EA!

Graphics

NHL 2002 brings realism to the game, and nobody brings it better than EA Sports. Visuals are simply gorgeous compared to the other competition. Remember that NHL 2002 is a port from the Playstation 2, it does not take complete and full advantage of the Xbox's superior hardware, but it is more polished and overall looks solid. Some gamers might be somewhat disappointed that NHL 2002 did not look as good as it could have been, but it does not mean EA did a horrible job on the visuals of NHL 2002. Even though it is just a port, the graphics are still photo-realistic. Player animation is very detailed and precise. A player's body movement is great, from taking the face-off to getting back up from a big hit. Goalies have everything from the blocker, trapper, stick, and movements to the facial and jersey movements.

A very important part of any sports game is animation and movement, as well as player models. Jerseys could be more polished as well as the name on the back of each jersey. Not all NHL teams used the same style of writing when putting the players name on the back of the jersey. Jersey movement is very awkward and moves in strange positions that do not agree with the movement of the player or goalie. It is almost as if the jersey is on a separate torso at times.

The visuals in NHL 2002 are great, but they are nothing spectacular for a Playstation 2 port. Everything is smoother and comes together nicely on the Xbox. It is a great looking game, but there are some problems to think about and that should be corrected for NHL 2003.

Sound

The sound in NHL 2002 is somewhat strange because it is excellent and terrible at the same time. The before-the-game preview is excellent because you have the Barenaked Ladies, Sum 41, and The Tea Party performing pre-game music (All Canadian bands). The music really pumps you up for the actual game.

The commentary is NHL 2002 is presented by Jim Hughson and Don Taylor. Do not get me wrong, Jim Hughson does a great job with the play by play action, but Don Taylor gets just plain annoying, especially when you first start playing the game. He will teach and advise you how to pass, shoot, check, and sadly, even move. I have to express that if you cannot figure out how to move, you should be doing motor skills exercises, not playing a video game where movement is essential. It gets really tiring after a while, since he graciously decides to help you in all three periods. On the good side, he'll only do this for exhibition play.

Other sound effects in NHL 2002 are well done. You can mostly hear everything, from the drop of the puck, to the player hitting the boards, to the players shouting at each other. One thing I was surprised not to see was the goalie introductions, and I'm really hoping EA Sports can get it together and have that for the 2003 installment. It is just another feature that would really make this game the most authentic experience around.

Replay Value

NHL 2002 is definitely a game worth settling down with and playing for a while, as it gets very deep and pulls you right into the game, especially with the new game story and NHL Cards feature. The season and tournament modes will keep you busy with endless options and the NHL Cards feature will have you very busy trying to collect all cards to complete your collection. A few gameplay modes to think about would be a franchise and skills competition to increase the level of gameplay. For a hockey fan, NHL 2002 is very much worth the purchase.

Overall

You just have to pick up this game if you are a hockey fan. Your other choice for hockey action on the Xbox is the hard hitting NHL Hitz 20-02 from Midway. NHL 2002 will keep you busy for awhile with its deep modes of gameplay and endless options. Although it is a Playstation 2 port, it offers some improvements, and now the graphics and gameplay are more amazing than ever. For hockey fans and sports gamers alike, here is a title you should not miss.

Player Cards

There are a total of 153 Player Cards available here in NHL 2002. These cards each feature a different NHL player on the front, just like real sports trading cards, and information about the odds of getting the card, the duration that it lasts, its particular boost, and the re-sell value on the back. For each player, there are Bronze, Silver, and Gold versions, with the following attributes:

Bronze

Odds (1/350), Duration (1 Period), Boost (Hero), Re-Sell Value (95 points)

Silver

Odds (1/500), Duration (2 Periods), Boost (Hero), Re-Sell Value (140 points)

Gold

Odds (1/1000), Duration (3 Periods), Boost (Hero), Re-Sell Value (275 points)

The Cheat Cards

The Cheat Cards can be played during a game and the duration of each particular cheat is determined by whether or not it is a bronze, silver, gold and, in some cases, platinum (the last three cards on the following list only come in diamond). For some of the cards, the duration will be in minutes rather than periods.

Bronze

Odds (1/600), Duration (1 Period), Boost (N/A), Re-Sell Value (170 points)

Silver

Odds (1/900), Duration (2 Periods), Boost (N/A), Re-Sell Value (250 points)

Gold

Odds (1/1800), Duration (3 Periods), Boost (N/A), Re-Sell Value (505 points)

1. Power Shot (turns player into big shooter)
2. Peashooter (turns opposing big shooter to normal shooter)
3. Bonecrusher (turns player into big hitter)
4. Crusher to Usher (turns opposing big hitter to normal hitter)
5. Muscles and Missiles (turns player into big hitter and big shooter)
6. Fired Up (gives player a hot streak)
7. Ice Cold (gives player a cold streak)
8. Flu Bug (random opposing player will have flu)
9. Emotional Charge (gives team maximum emotion)
10. Momentum Masher (caps opposing team's emotion to 30%)
11. Penalty Free (gives team immunity from penalties)
12. Off Target (causes # of opponent shots to miss the net)
13. Man Advantage (causes opposing team to be short handed for two minutes)
14. Frozen in Time (slows down time)
15. Bash Boom Bonanza (every player on both teams are made big hitters and shooters)

Diamond

Odds (1/550), Duration (N/A), Boost (N/A), Re-Sell Value (155 points)

1. Instant Penalty Shot (gives team a penalty shot)
2. Next Goal Wins (makes it sudden death overtime)
3. Clear the Deck (cancels all cheats)

Celebration Cards

One of the all-new features in NHL 2002 is the inclusion of user-controlled celebrations after goals. By pressing the corresponding button, either X, Circle or Triangle, the goal scorer will do the celebration that has been mapped to that button. There are six that are available at the beginner of the game and nine others that are opened up once you get one of the NHL Cards. Unlike the Player Cards and the Cheat Cards, these are not used up once you use them.

Diamond

Odds (1/550), Duration (N/A), Boost (N/A), Re-Sell Value (155 points)

1. 172. Superstar
2. Fireworks
3. Raise the Roof
4. The Rodeo
5. The Maestro
6. Home Plate Slide
7. The Archer
8. Wildman
9. The Swordsman

Easter Egg Cards

Just as the name suggests, these NHL Cards will open up Easter Eggs in the game. And just like the Celebration Cards, they are not per use cards and are available once they are earned — the particular Easter Egg will need to be turned on in the Easter Egg menu if you wish to use it. All of these cards are only available in Diamond.

Diamond

Odds (1/850), Duration (N/A), Boost (N/A), Re-Sell Value (230 points)

1. Mile Wide Stadium (the rink is wide)
2. After Hours (lights are out, spotlights on players)
3. Big Heads (players have big heads)
4. Sumo Hockey (players in colored sumo suits)
5. Last Man Standing (players stay down once knocked down until whistle)
6. Shrink 'n Grow (players get big when you score, shrink when hit)
7. Deep Voice (deep voices)
8. Chipmunk (squeaky voices)
9. Topsy Turvy (reversed controls)

Task List

As mentioned previously, the biggest difference between the Cards in NHL 2002 and the ones in Madden NFL 2002 have to do with the Tasklist and how it is operated. Whereas you could keep earning points for one task in Madden, here you can only earn points for the first time each task is completed in each difficulty level until all of them have been completed.

Task Difficulty - Level One

(Point Value - 200 Beginner, 400 Easy, 600 Medium, 800 Difficult)

• Connect 10 passes in a period
• Get a 1st, 2nd or 3rd Star Selection
• Score a goal
• Score on a 2-on-1
• Score on a rebound
• Score with a Big Shooter
• Score with a Hero
• Win 10+ Faceoffs in a period
• Score a goal with 2 different players
• Get 10 shots on goal in 1 period
• Score first goal of the game
• Stop 10 opposition shots
• Get full Team Emotion
• Win 1 Faceoff
• Score a One-Timer
• Win 5 Faceoffs
• Intercept a pass
• Score 2 goals with one player
• Score 3 goals
• Win a Game
• Get 1 Big Hit

Task Difficulty - Level Two

(Point Value - 300 Beginner, 600 Easy, 900 Medium, 1200 Difficult)

• Get a Shutout
• Get 15 Hits in 1 period
• Get 5 Big Hits by one player
• Score a Hat Trick with one player
• Score a Short Handed Goal (SHG)
• Score on a Breakaway
• Get 2 or fewer penalties in a game
• Get the Game Tying Goal (GTG)
• Score a Natural Hat Trick
• Score a Deflection goal
• Get a +/- rating of 4 for one player
• Win an Overtime Game in the Playoffs
• Finish 1st in Playoff GAA
• Score 20 goals with one player in a Season
• Win 3 consecutive Road games in a season
• Win the EA Sports Trophy in Season Mode
• Win the All-Star Game in Season Mode
• Finish 1st in your Conference in Season Mode
• Finish 1st in your Division in Season Mode
• Finish 1st in your 16 Team Tournament Pool
• Win the Bronze Medal in Tournament Mode

Task Difficulty - Level Three

(Point Value - 400 Beginner, 800 Easy, 1200 Medium, 1600 Difficult)

• Score in the opening 30 seconds of any period
• With one player, get a Goal, Assist and a Penalty
• Score on 3 penalty shots in an OT Shootout
• Complete 50% of your Power Plays in a game
• Finish a game with an 80% Penalty Kill Rate
• Win a Playoff game in an OT Shootout
• Win all your Playoff Road games
• Get a Shutout in a Playoff game
• Lead the League in Goals For in Playoffs
• Score 30 goals with one player in a season
• Win 5 consecutive Road gams in a season
• Win 75% of your Conference Opponent games
• Win the Stanley Cup in Season Mode
• Win the Calder Trophy in Season Mode
• Win the Hart Memorial Trophy in Season Mode
• Win the Lady Byng Trophy in Season Mode
• Win the Maurice Richard Trophy in Season Mode
• Get 5 Shutouts in a Season
• Finish with a GAA of 2.00 or below in a season
• Get a +/- rating for 1 player of 40 or higher
• Win the Silver Medal in Tournament Mode

Task Difficulty - Level Four

(Point Value - 500 Beginner, 1000 Easy, 1500 Medium, 2000 Difficult)

• Score a Hat Trick with 2 different players
• Score a SHG and GWG with same player
• Score a SHG while being on a 5-on-3
• Score on all 5 penalty shots in a Shootout
• Score on 1st shot of the game
• Finish 1st in Playoff scoring
• Go Undefeated in the Playoffs
• Lead the League in fewest Goals Against in Playoffs
• Win the Conn Smythe Trophy in Playoffs
• Get at least 1 point with ALL your players in 1 game
• Win the Norris Trophy in Season Mode
• Win the Presidents' Trophy in Season Mode
• Win the Selke Trophy in Season Mode
• Lead the League in Penalty Minutes in Season Mode
• Get 1000 Career Assists with a Created Player
• Score 500 Career Goals with a Created Player
• Score 100 Goals in 50 games w/one player
• Win Back-to-Back Stanley Cups
• Win the Gold Medal in Tournament
• Beat Team Canada using Japan in Tournament
• Score 5 PP Goals in 1 game

Barenaked Ladies

To create members of the Canadian band Barenaked Ladies, enter the following names at the Create Player screen: Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Steven Page, Ed Robertson, and Tyler Stewart. The database will locate their info and create players that look like the band members.

NHL 2002 Slap Shot Movie Uniforms

Go To custom Teams and pick EA Blades. This uniform is actually the movie uniform of the Charlestown Chiefs from the movie “Slap Shot.” (right down to the shoulder patch.) Only that it spells Blades not Chiefs. If you enact the team and create players from the movie, The commentators will then use their names in the play by play! Great one for Movie fans!!!